Anthropic co-founder reveals qualities AI company seeks in candidates: 'We look to hire...'

Daniela Amodei's own journey did not start in tech. She majored in literature at the University of California, took up a brief role at Capitol Hill before moving to Stripe, then OpenAI and eventually launching Anthropic with her brother in 2020. (Image credit: Ayeshakhanna.com)

Anthropic co-founder and president Daniela Amodei has recently revealed what the US-based AI company seeks in prospective candidates. At a time when AI is reshaping global workplaces and rattling technology markets, Amodei said Anthropic is prioritising human skills such as communication, empathy, and curiosity over purely technical expertise while hiring.

Speaking in an interview with ABC News, Amodei said fears of AI replacing humans entirely were overstated. “The number of jobs that AI could do without help from people is vanishingly small,” she said, adding that the things that make us human will become much more important.

“And what I mean by that is when we look to hire people at Anthropic today, we look for people who are great communicators, who have excellent EQ and people skills, who are kind and compassionate and curious and want to help other people," Amodei said.

Interestingly, the Anthropic president's own journey did not start in tech. She majored in literature at the University of California and worked briefly at Capitol Hill. She then pivoted to the tech sector, joining fintech company Stripe, and then OpenAI. In 2020, she quit to co-found Anthropic, which she manages with her CEO brother Dario Amodei, Fortune reported.

‘Humans plus AI create better work’

Amodei said she believes the integration of AI into the workforce will make jobs more meaningful and productive, rather than eliminate them. “Humans plus AI together actually create more meaningful work, more challenging work, more interesting work, high‑productivity jobs,” she told ABC News.

She argued that this collaboration could also broaden access to opportunity, allowing people without deep technical training to do complex work with AI support.

That view has gained attention at a moment when Anthropic’s latest product launch has sparked anxiety across financial markets.

Why Anthropic is in the spotlight

Last week, Anthropic released a new set of enterprise AI tools under its Claude Cowork platform, including plug‑ins designed to automate workflows across legal, finance, marketing, and sales functions. One legal-focused plug‑in, capable of reviewing contracts and conducting compliance checks, triggered a sharp sell‑off in global software stocks, wiping out an estimated $285 billion in market value in a single trading session.

The market reaction reflected investor fears that AI is beginning to replace entire software categories rather than simply assist professionals.

Amodei acknowledged that technical skills such as coding may become less central as AI tools grow more capable, but said this shift does not diminish the importance of people.